Perioperative complications of cochlear implant surgery in children

• Published in: Journal of anesthesia 2015-02, Vol.29 (1), p.126-130
• Main Authors: Darlong, V., Khanna, Puneet, Baidya, Dalim Kumar, Chandralekha, Pandey, Ravindra, Punj, Jyotsna, Kumar, Rakesh, Sikka, Kapil
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Airway Extubation - adverse effects; Analysis; Anesthesia, General - adverse effects; Anesthesia, General - methods; Anesthesia, Inhalation; Anesthesiology; Cerebrospinal Fluid Leak - epidemiology; Child; Child, Preschool; Clinical Report; Cochlear Implantation - adverse effects; Cochlear Implants; Complications and side effects; Critical Care Medicine; Deafness; Deafness - surgery; Elementary school students; Emergency Medicine; Equipment Failure - statistics & numerical data; Female; Foreign-Body Migration - epidemiology; Health aspects; Humans; Infant; Intensive; Intraoperative Complications - epidemiology; Intubation, Intratracheal - adverse effects; Laryngismus - etiology; Male; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Pain Medicine; Pain, Postoperative; Postoperative Complications - epidemiology; Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting - epidemiology; Prostheses and implants; Psychomotor Agitation - epidemiology; Psychomotor Agitation - psychology; Retrospective Studies
• ISSN: 0913-8668; 1438-8359
• DOI: 10.1007/s00540-014-1878-7

Cochlear implant is a commonly performed surgery for hearing loss in pre-school and school children. However, data on anesthesia management and anesthesia-related complications are sparse. We retrospectively reviewed the data of our institute from January, 2007 to December, 2012. Medical records and anesthesia charts of all the patients who had undergone cochlear implant under general anesthesia between this period were reviewed. Information related to the demographic profile, preoperative evaluation, anesthetic techniques, and perioperative complications were collected and analyzed. A total of 190 patients underwent cochlear implant surgery for pre-lingual (175) and post-lingual (15) deafness. General endotracheal anesthesia with inhalational agents was used in all the cases. Difficult intubation was encountered in three patients. Anesthesia-related complications were laryngospasm at extubation (4.73 %), emergence agitation (2.63 %), and postoperative nausea and vomiting (1.05 %). Major surgical complications were CSF leak without meningitis (3.15 %), device migration/failure (1.05 %), and flap infection (1.57 %). Cochlear implant under general anesthesia in small children is safe and anesthesia-related complications were minimal. Surgical complications, although more frequent, were predominantly minor and self-limiting.